Nintendo's announced one of its most peculiar new pieces of hardware since the Virtual Boy, with its 2DS console taking the portable maker's twin-screen clamshell portable ethos and making it into a rigid flat slab -- and removing the glasses-free 3D display feature completely.

Even stranger is the revelation that Nintendo's actually using just one touchscreen inside the 2DS, with the unused areas simply covered off by the plastic casing. Nintendo's also sticking an AC adaptor in the box with this one, so that's one small advantage it has over the full 3DS. Unofficial UK pricing from retailers is suggesting an RRP of around the £109 mark, a £30 to £40 discount to the "proper" 3DS XL that's the best way to play Nintendo's current portable crop

Stereo audio output has also been binned, in favour of one mono speaker. No doubt it'll be considered a cheap Christmas present for kids around the world and will do rather well for itself, but the serious gamer crowd is not impressed by Nintendo reversing on its push into 3D. And as for that name... at least it's not called the 3DS One.

The 2DS hits the UK on October 12th and is compatible with all existing 3DS games, although it won't display any in 3D. Not that anyone ever turned the 3D effect on anyway, due to it not being particularly pleasant on the human eye. [Nintendo]